This photograph is courtesy of Ron Casbon. The older man is Sylvester V Casbon, my second great grandfather. The man sitting next to him is unidentified – does anybody recognize him? The photograph is undated and location unknown. I wonder if it was taken near his farm in Deep River. [UPDATE: 14 May 2020: I… Continue reading Sylvester on a Cart
Author: Jon Casbon
In Trouble Again
Do you remember John Casbon, the 10-year old boy who was sentenced to 7-years transportation for setting a brush pile on fire (see “The old cow got round it”)? Well, it seems that he got in trouble with the law once more, as reported in the June 12, 1869 South London Chronicle.[1] When we last… Continue reading In Trouble Again
A Coming-of-Age Celebration
I wasn’t planning on writing about this family again so soon, but I was drawn to this article in the October 24, 1908 Bury (Lancashire, England) Times.[1] I was struck by both the importance of the occasion and the detailed reporting of the evening’s festivities. It paints such a vivid picture of a bygone era.… Continue reading A Coming-of-Age Celebration
A Family of Tailors
We’ve already met Alfred Hitch Casbon. He’s the guy whose middle name was transcribed as “Jitel” (see “Without a Hitch”). He was the son of James (Howse) Casbon (1806–1871) by his first wife, Ann Hitch. Alfred Hitch Casbon was born September 4, 1828 in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire and baptized in the “non-conformist” Independent church December 7th of… Continue reading A Family of Tailors
A Casbon in Parliament?
Well, yes … sort of. This advertisement appeared in The (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) Daily Colonist in 1907.[1] (Click on image to enlarge) As you can see, the advertisement includes an endorsement of sorts by “William Casbon, Superintendent of the Refreshment Department of the House of Lords, London.” This William is an interesting character, arising… Continue reading A Casbon in Parliament?
Amos Sees Something Amiss
This article from the August 21, 1913, Lake County (Hammond, Indiana) Times caught my eye.[1] (Click on image to enlarge) Amos is the grandfather, great grandfather, and even second and third great grandfather of many of today’s Casbon descendants. He came to the United States in 1870 when he was 1 year old, with his… Continue reading Amos Sees Something Amiss
Joseph and Lydia (Burgess) Casbon
You might need the Kleenex® for this one. One goal of genealogy, at least for me, is to keep lives from being forgotten. By writing about them, I hope to recognize, and give context and meaning to their existence, even if there are no living descendants to preserve their memory. Sometimes there is precious little to… Continue reading Joseph and Lydia (Burgess) Casbon
Deette Casbon—a Mystery
When I first started gathering information about our family history in the 1990s, there wasn’t much information available online and I didn’t have access to many sources. One source I did have was a privately printed volume entitled Aylesworth Family, Porter County, Indiana. The first printing of this book was 250 copies in March, 1946.… Continue reading Deette Casbon—a Mystery
How Valparaiso Got Its Name
This will be a short post, because I am only writing it to inform my readers of a post in a different blog. Steve Shook's excellent blog, Porter County's Past: An Amateur Historian's Perspective, features an article this week, titled "Fact or Folklore? The Naming of Valparaiso." In this post he addresses a popular myth… Continue reading How Valparaiso Got Its Name
James Casbon in the 1880 U.S. Census, Porter Township, Porter County, Indiana
James Casbon (abt. 1813—1884) was the subject of an earlier post. He is the common ancestor to many Casbon descendants, both in the United States and United Kingdom. Because of his relatively short time in America, there are few records about his life here. He only appears in one U.S. Census, that of 1880, since… Continue reading James Casbon in the 1880 U.S. Census, Porter Township, Porter County, Indiana